Belfast another appalling attack, we need to ask what is driving this.

Casdon

27 people, including a two month old baby are homeless as a result of the firebombing of their homes in the riots last night. I’ve just seen that the names and addresses of others are being circulated online, so they can be targeted too. It must be terrifying for them.

Musk encouraged using X (Twitter) to advertise "gatherings" of rioters and publishing (doxxing|) details of targets.

Oreo

I really think Cossy that it won’t help it happening again.
Murders and violent attacks are often carried out for reasons of jealousy/ envy/anger/ frustration/ financial/MH and other reasons and knowing the exact reason has never stopped it happening again has it?

I agree with the main thrust of what you are saying Oreo. There will always be heinous crimes committed in society. But I think it is important to the loved ones of the victims to know why it happened, and not to just think it was a senseless loss of life. So if it was because the attacker or murderer was mentally unwell or because he was acting out some heinous political agenda it will matter to the loved ones struggling to make sense of such a terrible act.

Nothing justifies violent protests in my view. The Police have been accused of racism for stopping and searching more black and ethnic teenagers and young men and although it doesn’t apply in the Belfast case, he did carry a knife.
My musings on stop and search are sort of running alongside the whole knife carrying thing.A lot of asylum seekers admit they carry knives for their own protection ( from other asylum seekers).

OK, the REASON he did this is because he is an evil monster who chose to attack a vulnerable man.

Stephen is now in an induced coma. He is deaf and has now lost his sight and his nose. His throat is slit, he has a slashed shoulder and a puncture wound to his rib cage.

Yes Fallingstar for the family to know so they can try and make sense of it, but it won’t help society.

Primrose53

OK, the REASON he did this is because he is an evil monster who chose to attack a vulnerable man.

Stephen is now in an induced coma. He is deaf and has now lost his sight and his nose. His throat is slit, he has a slashed shoulder and a puncture wound to his rib cage.

I cannot comprehend this, that poor man already disadvantaged and now having to cope with these heinous injuries .

I read that he had been helping this man and his friends, they had moved into his block of flats 4 days prior to the incident.

I pray for him and for NI that this isn’t the catalyst for a return to the bad old days.

Sago. An Irish reporter on TV this morning, reporting from Belfast said that it has actually brought the two sides together and it’s the first time he has seen this. They are all equally shocked at this brutal attack.

You can watch live on Sky News online, rioters throwing missiles at the police, and making fires. People have lost their sense of proportion despite the family’s wishes - again. The consequence will be dozens more court cases and idiots ending up in prison.

I have just read the poor victim was assaulted in West Lothian, he was given GBH (date rape drug) assaulted then covered in after shave and torched.

To pick yourself up after that and then be attacked so cruelly is unbelievable.

Poor, poor man.

I thought the BBCsaid it was a Unionist area

grumppa

I thought England's first colony was Wales!

Was it not the Welsh Prince Henry who took over England?

Sort of. Henry Tudor had a Welsh father, but his mother was Lady Margaret Beaufort, who was an English noblewoman. Through her father, she was a direct descendant of King Edward III, which gave Henry his strong claim to the English throne - he wasn’t a Welsh usurper.

I thought West Lothian was in Scotland.
Yes JPB123 it was a unionist area, it would be very unusual for a loyalist to have a hurling stick.

I worked with a legal migrant who filled a serious skills shortage by his presence. He was told that any dip in his bank balance, any infringement of the law and he was gone. He had to wait 5 years and pay quite a lot of money out to earn his right to stay. He was scared to drive in case he inadvertently got caught for parking or speeding. So why is this not applied to the illegals too?

Some judges will add a deportation order to sentences, but many do not, and appeal seems easy on the grounds of having made a life here. Even those who have these can walk free out of court/prison and disappear, as do those who have been refuse asylum, because there is a disconnect with the police.

There is great difficulty in getting any background on refugees, especially given that their regimes would declare them criminals. The ongoing issues in Somalia/Somaliland bring people in. A discussion with a Somali, many of whom have French as a second language, was why they risked the crossing. His reply was about our "kindness" being legend across his homeland. He worked at a centre supporting new arrivals with language lessons, signposting to housing and services, access to computers and some basic education. This was closed down due to council cuts.

There IS support for mentally ill people, and it is considered a valid reason for not sending them home. I guess though, it is a good or bad as it is for the rest of us.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Uncontrolled immigration isn’t ’just a problem’ anymore. It’s front and centre of what bothers so many people. The infrastructure isn’t available to cope and for starters we are NOT a world health centre. All this is costing a King’s ransom. So … Those of us who feel their voices aren’t being listened to will vote accordingly at the next GE that’s for sure.

Agree.

In answer to a post upthread, yes , some politicians are out in their constituencies, trying to find safe refuge for families with children who have been burned out of their homes.

Put the clock back 30 years and we wouldn’t be having these conversations because none of this was happening. We’ve taken our eye off the ball.

Gran22boys

Put the clock back 30 years and we wouldn’t be having these conversations because none of this was happening. We’ve taken our eye off the ball.

There were a number of major riots in the 1980s and 1990s though, also in areas of deprivation and high unemployment.

I think the Open Borders/Free Movement on the so called Island if Ireland have also contribute to this incident.

Where there are no checks on the the border between Northern Island and the Republic of Ireland.

You know the one that was decided under Blair in the Good Friday Agreement.

This Somali Man got a flight from Paris to Dublin. Then he went by coach from Dublin to Belfast. No worries.

That Open Border, Good Friday agreement is the real reason that the UK government with not question the ECHR. European Convention on Human Rights.

They don't want to because the Troubles may start again in Northern Island.

As for providing support for Asylum Seekers granted leave to remain with mental health problems. I think we have already have a massive backlog of people who cannot get help with Mental Health problems to clear first who already live here.

Don't you!

I think it needs to be said that the vast majority of people suffering severe mental illness are not violent and never will be. The danger is that those with mental illness like schizophrenia become pariahs in society.

Primrose53

OK, the REASON he did this is because he is an evil monster who chose to attack a vulnerable man.

Stephen is now in an induced coma. He is deaf and has now lost his sight and his nose. His throat is slit, he has a slashed shoulder and a puncture wound to his rib cage.

Yes. Agreed.

The other day, before this happened, therep was an article in the Daily Express mentioning how easy it is to enter the UK for those who have already been convicted with a photo of a chap who mentioned this to the media.

I forgot to add for Sharon 103.
I am sure I am saying this for all, we are with you as obviously the poor lad’s life will now not be the same. Before I read about his wounds I realised he is the same age as my youngest son. What he needs now is a lot of love, care and understanding which I am sure he will get

I was talking to two people with very close connections to the security services last night. They said both parties were alleged drug dealers and the attack resulted from a disagreement between rivals. Neither were particularly ‘politically correct’ individuals so I have no reason to suspect they are not telling the truth and we were not in a public place so they could be more forthright than in public.
Obviously this does not mean he deserved to be attacked but vicious attacks between rivals are not uncommon in NI, with or without adding drugs into the mix, much of which does not get reported for various reasons including the regions troubled history.

LtEve you do know the man laying in hospital was deaf and classed as vulnerable…